Updated Day Rates and Wages For Tradespeople

We also decided to go a step further and conduct research into how much tradespeople earn, either as a salary or as a self-employed person.

Keep reading and discover how much plumbers, sparkys, roofers and other tradespeople get paid.

How Can You Can Actually Use This?

While the information below is insightful, it’s also handy if you are budgeting for a home improvement project,

We have also provided information about wages for employed tradespeople for comparison.

This page contains the following information:

Day rates for self-employed construction workers

An explanation of the difference between a day rate and a wage

Updated annual wages for employed construction workers on PAYE

A look at sales people in the trade and home improvement industries

Day Rates For the Self Employed

The difference in value is because day rates vary depending on location and experience:

Trade

Low

High

Plumber

£150

£270

Electrician

£150

£280

Roofer

£150

£220

Double Glazing Installer

£120

£180

Plasterer

£130

£170

Carpenter

£130

£170

Tiler (walls and floors)

£140

£200

Landscape Gardener

£110

£180

General Gardener

£90

£150

Painter and Decorator

£120

£180

General Builder

£150

£240

Labourers/Trainees

£75

£110

Read This First

When calculating the “day rate” for labour, do consider that some tradespeople work in a team of two.

This is usually an experienced and qualified tradesperson along with a labourer/trainee.

However, there are occasions when two fully qualified people will work together, this costs more per day, but the work should be completed in fewer days.

Also, where you live has a considerable impact on the cost of labour. Tradespeople in the north of the UK earn much less than those living in London.

Don’t Forget

The day rate for labour usually includes the wages of the tradesperson and the running of a van or vehicle for that day. The rate doesn’t include any other major overheads, materials or profits a larger company would be looking to make.

The day rates in our table above are a good starting point when trying to calculate how much a project will cost.

Is a “Day Rate” the Same as a Wage?

While we don’t want to use this website to defend high labour fees, we do understand why tradespeople charge the amount they do.

We also understand why some homeowners feel they are being ripped off.

One should remember that even small “one man” type traders have overheads.

Vans, training, insurance, tools and access equipment such as scaffold towers can cost many thousands of pounds. Also, the self-employed, unlike employed persons, do not earn when they are off work sick or on holiday, so they have to charge more per-day when they are at work to compensate for this.

So no, a day rate for the self-employed cannot be fairly compared to a wage that is paid to an employed person.

A tradesperson’s day rate will always be higher than an employed person’s wage, assuming they work in the same sector.

Average Wages/Earnings For Tradespeople (employed persons)

The section below provides details of average wages for employed people in the construction industry.

We have gathered the data from reliable sources and have also cited them:

Plumber’s Earnings:

Below is our guide to plumber’s earnings, both sources cite roughly the same amount:

Plumbers Wages

Source

Info

£28362 pa

Total Jobs

Updated March 2017 and based on sample of 154 jobs

£27330 pa

This is Money

Updated December 2014

For Electricians:

According to our two sources, electricians earn roughly the same as plumbers.

The data from Total Jobs is based on 340 job vacancies on their website, so seems accurate:

Electrician's Wages

Source

Info

£29000 pa

Total Jobs

Based on sample of 340 jobs

£30345 pa

This is Money

Updated December 2014

Roofers Earnings:

The difference between the two wages cited below is stark.

We know several experienced employed roofers in the south of the UK that earn around £40,000 pa so the lower figure suggested below appears to be an error. It’s similar to what a semi-experienced labourer would earn in this sector:

Roofer's Wages

Source

Info

£37500 pa

Total Jobs

Based on sample of 152 jobs

£22800 pa

This is Money

Updated December 2014

Window Fitter’s Pay:

Again, we see a huge difference between the data supplied by Total Jobs and This is Money.

A realistic wage in the south of the UK is probably closer to £30,000, based on our experience.

Fitter's Wages

Source

Info

£52500 pa

Total Jobs

Based on limited sample of 18 jobs

£20853 pa

This is Money

Updated December 2014

Plasterer’s Wages:

Below is data for plasterer’s wages:

Plasterer's Wages

Source

Info

£25406 pa

Total Jobs

Based on sample of 94 jobs

£22370 pa

This is Money

Updated December 2014

Carpenter’s Pay:

Carpenters wages seem a little low, we expected them to be a few thousand higher pa.

Carpenter's Wages

Source

Info

£25000 pa

Total Jobs

Based on sample of 124 jobs

£24817 pa

This is Money

Updated December 2014

Landscape Gardener’s Wages:

General landscape gardening is not always a well paid job for employed persons.

We do know from experience that those who become specialists can earn considerably more than those who do general landscaping.

Try This Salary Checker

What About Sales People?

Sales staff are most commonly seen in the double glazing, conservatory, roofline and extensions/conversions sectors.

Here is a quote from a former double glazing salesman:

In the mid 1990’s I was on £40,000 pa commission only. As a manager my over ride gained me another £10k or so. I would say the top managers with the best team could be on £100,000 but it would be one or two, certainly not the norm. Maximum commission in my day was 17.5% for a self generated sale. 10% for company generated. This reduced the further through the discount structure you went. 20% discount would equate to halving your commission.

Things haven’t changed too much since the 1990’s as the average commission rate is now around 15-17.5% or 10% if the lead was generated by the company.

In most cases, the sales person will also get a target based bonus.

This is calculated monthly, not on the number of sales but on the total value of those sales for that month. We know that some firms hold on to the bonus and pay it out twice per year, but only if the sales person is still working for the firm. This is a great way for them to retain staff.

Some experienced and successful sales staff can earn over £100,000 per year but the average is probably closer to £45,000.

Poorly trained staff, those that aren’t pushy enough or those that aren’t given any decent leads could earn less than the UK average wage.

Not all sales staff are on commission-only terms.

Some are employed with a basic rate of income and a significantly reduced commission rate as a top-up. This type of employment is usually accepted by less successful sales staff or those still learning the ropes.